Second Step and SEL Research

Discover the research and evidence behind our program

Grounded in Research

We take great pride in the fact that Second Step is based on current research in the field. Translating research findings into key components of our programs allows us to be confident our curricula will be effective in classrooms.

Committed to Effectiveness

We’re dedicated to evaluating our program for effectiveness through randomized control trials, which is the only way we can be certain it meets its intended objectives. By basing our program development on rigorous research and evaluating our program outcomes with these research trials, we strive to provide a truly effective curriculum that helps children improve their social-emotional skills and be successful in school and in life.

Outcomes

Second Step SEL for Early Learning

Second Step Social-Emotional Learning for Early Learning Is Shown to Significantly Increase Executive Function, Which Leads to Kindergarten Readiness

Executive function, a set of foundational cognitive skills, is strongly linked to young students’ kindergarten readiness and academic success. Findings from a recent randomized control trial indicate that participation in Second Step SEL for Early Learning leads to significant increases in preschoolers’ executive function. Growth in preschoolers’ executive function subsequently predicted gains in students’ pre-academic skills and on-task behavior, which in turn predicted their kindergarten readiness.Read more about this study. (PDF)

Increased Executive Functioning Shown in Preschoolers Who Received Second Step SEL

A classroom randomized trial was conducted using Second Step SEL for Early Learning compared to the most commonly used curricula in Head Start and community preschools. Children receiving Second Step had significantly better end-of-preschool executive-function skills than students who didn’t receive the program.Read more about this study. (PDF)

Second Step SEL for Elementary School

(conducted with the 2011 edition)

This study (the first with the 2011 edition of Second Step) conducted a randomized controlled trial over a one-year period with 7300 students and 321 teachers in 61 schools across six school districts, from kindergarten to second grade. Significant improvements in social-emotional competence and behavior were made by children who started the school year with skill deficits in these areas. Additionally, the number of lessons completed and student engagement were predictive of improved student outcomes.Read more about this study. (PDF)

Second Step SEL for Elementary School

(conducted with the 2002 edition)

Less Adult Conflict Intervention, Improved Social Competence

A study examined the effects of Second Step on 1,253 second- through fourth-grade children. When compared to children in a control group, those who participated in Second Step showed greater improvement in teacher ratings of their social competence, were less aggressive, and were more likely to choose positive goals.Read more about this study. (PDF)

Gains in Prosocial Skills and Behavior

A pre-post design of 455 fourth- and fifth-grade students in a small urban school district was studied to evaluate the efficacy of the Second Step curriculum. After students received Second Step, they showed significant gains in knowledge about social-emotional skills. Report card data also revealed modest gains in prosocial behavior.
Read more about this study. (PDF)

Second Step for Middle School

(conducted with the 2008 edition)

Physical Aggression 42 Percent Less Likely

Thirty-six middle schools in the Chicago and Wichita areas participated in an evaluation of Second Step for Middle School. Schools in the study were randomly assigned to teach either Second Step or be control schools. After one year, sixth-graders in schools that implemented Second Step were 42 percent less likely to say they were involved in physical aggression compared to sixth-graders in schools that didn’t implement the program.Read more about this study. (PDF)

20 Percent Reduction in Bullying by Students with Disabilities

This three-year study followed 123 students with disabilities from sixth through eighth grade. The 47 students in the intervention group received Second Step lessons during these three years. The control group of 76 students received no Second Step lessons. The study found that bullying by students with disabilities decreased by one-fifth during this three-year period of middle school among the intervention group participating in Second Step.Read more about this study. (PDF)

Second Step Child Protection Unit

A randomized control trial examined the effects of the Second Step Child Protection Unit’s family videos* on parents’ knowledge, motivation, and self-reported communication with their child about personal safety and childhood sexual abuse (CSA) prevention. Parents who watched the videos had significant increases in knowledge about CSA and parental motivation to have conversations with their children about personal safety and CSA at a two-month follow-up compared to those who did not watch the videos.

Current Randomized Control Trials

Second Step for Early Learning

A 64-classroom randomized control trial is being conducted in Massachusetts by Dr. Carole Upshur (University of Massachusetts Medical School) to evaluate the effect of the Second Step Early Learning Program on young children’s end-of-preschool social skills, emotion regulation, executive functioning, and academic readiness skills, and how these affect kindergarten-readiness screening and kindergarten performance.

Second Step Bullying Prevention Unit

Dr. Dorothy Espelage (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign) and Dr. Todd Little (Texas Tech University) are assessing the impact of the K–5 Second Step Bullying Prevention Unit in a randomized control trial involving 108 classrooms across nine K–5 schools in Illinois. In particular, they’re examining the impact of the program on bullying and peer victimization.

Second Step Child Protection Unit

Dr. Amanda Nickerson (University of Buffalo) is assessing the impact of the EL–G5 Second Step Child Protection Unit (CPU) in a randomized control trial involving eight schools in New York. In particular, the study will be assessing whether the CPU lessons improve student knowledge to recognize, report, and refuse unsafe situations. In addition, the study will examine whether the staff training improves staff knowledge and motivation.

Second Step Child Protection Unit Family Videos

Dr. Jennifer Livingston (University at Buffalo) is conducting a randomized control trial with parents and caregivers to gauge whether watching the Second Step Child Protection Family Videos is an effective way to promote parent or caregiver discussions about child sexual abuse.

Programa Compasso in Brazilian Primary Schools

Dr. Dana Charles McCoy (Harvard Graduate School of Education) and Drs. Vladimir Ponczek and Cristine Pinto (Fundação Getulio Vargas) are evaluating the impact of Programa Compasso in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Programa Compasso is a Brazilian SEL program developed by Ana Luiza Colagrossi and colleagues from the Instituto Vila Educação and based on Second Step. Using a randomized control trial in more than 90 primary schools, the evaluation’s objective is to understand the impact of Programa Compasso in terms of improving teacher outcomes, student social-emotional well-being, and student academic performance.

Making the Case for Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)

SEL Programs Studied Return $11 for Every $1 Invested

This pioneering report from Columbia University details a benefit-cost analysis evaluating six SEL interventions (including Second Step) that shows an average return on investment of $11 for every dollar spent. Until now, there has been little to no data to show policymakers and grant givers the economic benefits of SEL curriculum. The researchers acknowledge the limitations of imprecise data and say their conservative estimates may not capture the full benefits of the SEL programs evaluated. Known benefits of the interventions studied include: reductions in child aggression, substance abuse, delinquency, and violence; lower levels of depression and anxiety; and increased grades, attendance, and performance in core academic subjects.Read the full report. (PDF)

Schoolwide Gains in SEL

A meta-analysis of 213 school-based, universal social-emotional learning (SEL) programs was conducted. Compared to students who didn’t participate in an SEL program, those who did showed significant improvements in social-emotional skills, attitudes, behavior, and academic performance that reflected an 11-percentile-point achievement gain.Read the full report. (PDF)

Social Competence in Kindergarten a Predictor of Future Outcomes

In a study released in July 2015 that examined nearly 20 years of data from the Fast Track Research Project, researchers found that teacher-rated social competence in kindergarten consistently and significantly predicted outcomes in education, employment, criminal justice, substance use, and mental health into adulthood. Kindergartners with higher social competence scores were measurably more likely to attain a college degree, more likely to earn a high school diploma, and more likely to have a full-time job at age 25.Read the full report. (PDF)

Jones, D. E., Greenberg, M., and Crowley, M. (2015). Early social-emotional functioning and public health: The relationship between kindergarten social competence and future wellness. American Journal of Public Health. Advance online publication. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2015.302630

How SEL Helps Prevent Bullying

Research has shown that building the social-emotional competence of students is an important component of effective bullying prevention. This article examines how social-emotional learning (SEL) contributes to bullying prevention efforts in schools and discusses specific SEL skills that can be taught to students to help prevent bullying.Read the full report. (PDF)

SEL Has Positive, Lasting Impact for K–12 Students

In a follow-up to their groundbreaking 2011 meta-analysis, CASEL and collaborating researchers have found that students from kindergarten to high school significantly benefit from school-based, universal social-emotional learning (SEL) interventions. This new meta-analysis, released in July 2017, evaluated results of nearly 97,500 students in 82 schools, and the effects were assessed 6 months to 18 years after the program had ended.

The study shows that 3.5 years after their last SEL intervention, students fared markedly better academically than their peers in control groups by an average of 13 percentile points, based on eight studies that measured academics. Additionally, researchers saw that conduct problems, emotional distress, and drug use were much lower for students with SEL exposure than those without. The study also indicates that—regardless of race, socioeconomic background, or school location—students showed significant positive benefits one year post-intervention. This finding suggests that SEL interventions can support the positive development of students from diverse family backgrounds or geographical contexts.Read the full report. (PDF)